Suction actuated signaling mechanism



May 18, 1937. 2,080,470

A. F. GILLET SUCTION ACTUATED SIGNALING MECHANISM Filed Feb. 4, 1935 Fig: 1. k

Bnnentor attorn y Patented May 18, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SUCTION ACTUATED SIGNALING MECHANISM tion of New York Application February 4, 1935, Serial No. 4,905

6 Claims.

This invention relates to suction operated si naling mechanism used in conjunction with any suitable source of vacuum, or according to one specific aspect the intake manifolds of internal combustion engines which provide a motive power for vehicles, said engines and manifolds having throttle valves for regulating the amount of fuel admitted to the engines, said manifolds providing a source of suction through nippletaps secured thereto for operating defrosters, windshield wipers and the like accessories.

The above mentioned tap on the intake manifold is provided by the manufacturer thereof and purposely is made of small bore for limiting the quantity of air admitted to the manifold therethrough for the purpose of preventing an undesired degree of dilution of the fuel mixture for the engine whereby the volume of air sucked into the manifold through said tap is comparatively small and inadequate for the production of loud warning signals.

It is an object of the present invention to so arrange the parts thereof that the comparatively small quantity of air permitted to pass said tap results in a flow of high velocity adjacent the diaphragm of the present invention for providing an efficient traffic warning device.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device for the above stated purposes, the opening through the diaphragm of which is provided with a comparatively restricted passageway therethrough, said passageway being of less area than the area of any portion of the connection or connections including a nipple screwed into said tap which is positioned between the intake manifold of the engine and the said device, whereby air incident to rushing through said restricted area of the diaphragm is increased in velocity adjacent the diaphragm for a more effective vibration of the latter and/or the valve or plunger. Thus, the pulsations imparted to the air in the bell or horn portion of the new device results in a louder and more efficient signaling sound for warning traffic of the approach of the vehicle.

A further object of the invention is to provide a warning mechanism, the vibratable diaphragm if which is provided with such a comparatively restricted opening therethrough that the passage of debris and abrasive sand particles is prevented.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a signaling mechanism, the vibratable diaphragm or valve of which is provided with such a comparatively restricted opening therethrough.

that the effective area of the valve when open is of the same size or less than the area of the suction passageway or connection between the new device and the intake manifold of the engine or source of suction, whereby the warning mechanism of the present invention operates with a less amount of air than has heretofore been utilized for automobile sound signaling purposes.

With the foregoing and other objects in view the invention will be more fully described hereinafter and will be'more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the drawing, wherein like symbols refer to like or corresponding parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a vertical section of a signaling mechanism embodying the present invention.

Figure 2 is a transverse section thereof taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the diaphragm employed.

Figure 4 is a bottom plan view of the valve head.

Figure 5 is a vertical section of a fragment of the sign-a1 showing the relative position of the valve head and diaphragm in a retracted. position with respect to each other. I

Referring now to the drawing for a more particular description, at 20 is generally indicated a signaling mechanism including a casing preferably formed of a lower half portion 2| and an upper half portion 22. Said parts are substantially cup-shape in cross section, the member 2| having an out-turned flange 23 and an inturned flange 24 and provided with a nut 25 for facilitating a connection of the signaling mechanism with the intake manifold of an internal combustion engine, said connection being provided with a suitable cut-off cock, not shown, for use at times when it is desired to produce warning sounds.

The side wall of the lower half portion 2| of the casing is provided with an annular shelf 26 for purposes later explained and the upper half portion 22 thereof includes a flange 21 which may engage the flange 23 to secure the casing parts together.

A bell or trumpet 28 is preferably employed for amplifying sounds produced by the new device. Air is freely admitted through said bell for a communication at all times with the interior of the casing by means of an annular collar 30 and keepers 3|, as shown. The nut 25 is provided with a threaded outlet port 32 for securing thereto a conduit 32'. Such securing means may include a threaded sleeve and a packing unit carried thereby for locking the end of the pipe 32' to said sleeve, as shown in Figure 1.

Before securing the casing portions together a transversely disposed diaphragm 33 and a valvehead 34 carried by a resilient spider 35 are placed within the housing and arranged as shown in Figure 2. I

The diaphragm 33 is provided with a centrally disposed aperture 38, said diaphragm subdividing the casing and providing a chamber 39 at the suction side thereof and a chamber 39 at the air inlet side thereof. It will be understood that communication between the chambers is established throughthe valve and diaphragm thus described at times when the valve is open. In this connection it will be understood that washers or shims 36 of suitable material are preferably interposed between the diaphragm and casing portions so that all air flowing through the (has ing will have to pass/through the diaphragm opening.

The valve-head 34 is adapted to seat against and contact with the diaphragm at times, said head being secured by any suitable means, such as the rivet illustrated, to the spider 35. The spider may be formed of any suitable, and preferably, resilient material. It may include any suitable number of arms bearing against the shelf 26 as indicated at 4| and serving constantly to maintain the axes of the diaphragm opening and valve head in alignment. with a sleeve 42 which extends through the opening of the diaphragm at all times and restricting the opening through the diaphragm during reciprocating movements of the parts. The diameter of the opening through the diaphragm or aperture is substantially .810 inch and the outside diameter of the sleeve is .786 inch whereby the width of the annular space between the wall of said aperture and the outer wall of said sleeve or periphery is .012 providing an annular opening therebetween, the total area of which is .03015 square inch. The diaphragm is formed of resilient ma'terialpreferably copper bearing metal and the thickness thereof is substantially about .004 inch. The foregoing stated dimensions are given for facilitating construction of a device and these proportions have been ascertained after laborious experimentation as conducive to good results.

An engine or source of suction is generally indicated at 48 having an intake manifold 49, the latter provided with the heretofore mentioned tap indicated at 59, to which the conduit 32 is connected for communicating suction generated by the reciprocating pistons of the engine to the new'device for an actuation thereof. Such manifold and engine, together with the tap, are well known, and it is believed that they do not require particular illustration or detailed description.

A cut-01f valve such as or similar to the valve for a similar purpose illustrated and explained in my prior Patent No. 1,869,142 may be positioned between the ends of the conduit 32 for totally cutting oil suction applied to the new device, said cut-ofi valve when open permitting suction to be communicated within the capacity of the said tap and conduit 32'.

The bore of the tap 59 is purposely made comparatively small by the manufacturer of the manifold for limiting the amount of air which can be sucked into the manifold therethrough and it will be understood that the largest fittingor nipple which can be screwed into such tap'is such The head is provided that the capacity or bore through the nipple can be no larger than substantially .06201 square inch, whereby a comparatively small volume of air will flow from the chamber 39. Preferably twin warning mechanims are in communication with said nipple for producing dual tones simultaneously. The combined area of the opening through the diaphragms of the twin horns is .0603 square inch which less than the area or bore of the nipple or fitting attached to the tap 5|], said bore being .062 square inch. It is, of course, obvious that if a greater of lesser number of units are employed, the proportions herein emphasized will be followed, i. e., the combined effective area of the diaphragm opening or openings should preferably be less than the area of the tap 59. To this end, the bore of the tap may be increased in size or the spacing of the parts of the unit may be varied so as to reduce the effective space through which the air flows.

In the operation of prior art devices the comparatively small amount of air permitted to be sucked through them 'on account of the restricted bore of the tap 50 and passed into an intake manifold causes a correspondingly small degree of suction to be applied within the chamber of their valve mechanisms, said chamber being of comparatively large area for providing adequate room for said valve therein consequently decreasing the velocity therethrough to such an extent that a proportionately lesser amount of vibrations were imparted to the diaphragms and/or valves.

In the operation of the instant invention, incident to the restricted passageway for air through the diaphragm thereof a Venturi-tubelike action is provided increasing the velocity of the air passing through the diaphragm providing more effective vibrations and louder signals. It will be noted that a comparatively small amount of suction applied to the chamber 39 of the present unit is adequate to produce an emcient warning signal; the diaphragm opening being restricted relative to the connections between the new device and the intake manifold of the engine.

The instant invention, among other of its advantages, provides means for preventing abrasive debris and the like from passing through the mechanism, and without muting the sound projected from the trumpet. Such debris in order to pass the mechanism must be of a less diameter than the width of the annular opening or the space indicated at 38, said width being substantially .012 square inch.

Thus, with vacuum existing in chamber 39, the valve head 34 will move rearwardly against the resistance of the spider 35-or its equivalent. If the diaphragm is relatively flexible (this preferably being the case), the diaphragm will also be acted upon by the vacuum to flex rearwardly. However, due to the mounting of this member, it is obvious that its elastic limit is not equivalent to the elastic limit of the spider. Therefore, a condition will be reached wherein the valve head continues its rearward'movement although the diaphragm has ceased such movement. At that instant the sealing contact between the valve and the diaphragm will become interrupted and the suction within chamber 39 will be broken, and while the valve may continue to move rearwardly for an additional fraction of a second, the diaphragm will return to its normal position and, in fact, flex to a point beyond the same. As soon as the spider or the equivalent resilient member overcomes the tendency of the valve body to move rearwardly or inwardly, it will move the same forwardly or outwardly until it engages the diaphragm. Whereupon the vacv uum will again build up in chamber 39 and the entire operation will be repeated. Of course, if the diaphragm is relatively stiff, it will flex to only a very small degree, and if its rigidity is increased, substantially no flexion of the diaphragm will result. In such cases the sound will be produced solely incident to the vibration of the valve body or head and as the latter vibrates in the rapidly moving air stream flowing between the edges of the diaphragm aperture and the side face of the valve. Of course, the position of the parts may be adjusted to operate under the best possible conditions consistent with the factors present in any given installation. However, under all circumstances, vibration will occur at acoustical frequencies and the warning note will be produced incident to any single one or combination of the following four factors: First, the rapid contacts occurring between the diaphragm or plate and the valve head; second, the vibration of the diaphragm; third, the vibration of the valve head; and, fourth, the intermittent fiow and consequent pulsating of the air column Within trumpet 28, opening 29, and chamber 39'.

It is obvious that various changes and modifications may be made in the details of construction and design of the above specifically described embodiment of this invention without departing from the spirit thereof, such changes and modifications being restricted only by the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:-

l. A suction actuated signaling mechanism including a casing having an outlet port to be connected to a source of suction, said casing also having an inlet port, a vibratory diaphragm mounted within the casing and disposed between said ports, said diaphragm having an aperture, and a reciprocating valve extending through said diaphragm aperture, the effective area of the diaphragm aperture with said valve in fully unseated condition being less than the effective area of the casing outlet.

2. A suction actuated signaling mechanism including a casing having an outlet port to be connected to a source of suction, said casing being also formed with an inlet port, a vibratory diaphragm within said casing and formed with a centrally disposed aperture, a valve extending adjacent said diaphragm aperture, and a sleeve fixed to said valve and projecting through said aperture, the effective operative area between the sleeve and edge of the diaphragm aperture being at all times less than the effective area of the casing outlet.

3. A suction actuated signaling mechanism ineluding a casing formed with an inlet port and an outlet port, the latter being connected to a source of suction, a vibratory diaphragm disposed between said ports and formed with a valve aperture, a reciprocable valve closure mounted in said casing, a sleeve forming a part of said valve closure and extending through said aperture, and said sleeve having a diameter less than the diameter of said aperture.

4. A warning signal generator including a casing having intake and outlet openings, the latter to be connected to a source of suction, an apertured vibratory diaphragm within said casing and through the aperture of which air passes in its flow from said inlet opening toward said outlet opening, reciprocable means Within the casing and extending into the diaphragm aperture for varying the volume of air passing through said aperture, means for maintaining the effective area of the aperture substantially constant during the operative movements of said reciprocable means and such effective area under operating conditions being less than the effective area of the outlet opening whereby the velocity with which the air is flowing from said outlet opening is increased in its passage through said diaphragm aperture.

5. A suction actuated warning mechanism including a casing having inlet and outlet ports, the latter to be connected to a source of suction, a vibratory diaphragm in the casing and formed with an aperture for the passage of air from the inlet port towards the outlet port, a reciprocal valve positioned within said casing and having a body cooperating with the aperture of said diaphragm to open and close the same, an extension forming a part of said bodyand projecting through the aperture of the diaphragm, the area of the diaphragm aperture when fully open being less than the effective area of the casing outlet, said diaphragm being flexible, and means for urging said valve into sealing relationship with respect to the diaphragm aperture.

6. A horn including a casing formed with inlet and outlet openings, a vibratory diaphragm mounted within said casing and formed with an aperture, a valve disposed within said casing and between the diaphragm and the outlet opening thereof, means for yieldingly urging said valve toward said diaphragm and into aperture obstructing relationship with respect thereof, the body of said valve being of larger area than the area of said aperture, a sleeve forming a part of said valve and extending through said diaphragm aperture, the area of the space between the body of said valve, the sleeve thereof, and the adjacent aperture edges, being less with said valve in fully unseated position than the area of said outlet opening.

ALEXIS F. GILLET. 

